Morphology of M aundia supports its isolated phylogenetic position in the early‐divergent monocot order A lismatales

According to recent molecular phylogenetic data, the rare A ustralian endemic M aundia triglochinoides does not form a clade with taxa traditionally classified as members of J uncaginaceae. Therefore, views on the morphological evolution and taxonomy of A lismatales require re‐assessment. As the morphology of M aundia is poorly known and some key features have been controversially described in the literature, the flowers, fruits, inflorescence axes and peduncles were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. Inflorescences are bractless spikes with flowers arranged in trimerous whorls. Except in the inflorescence tip (where the flower groundplan is variable), flowers possess two tepals in transversal‐abaxial positions, six stamens in two trimerous whorls and four carpels in median and transversal positions. Fruits are indehiscent. The shared possession of orthotropous ovules supports the molecular phylogenetic placement of M aundia as sister to a large clade including P otamogetonaceae and related families. Maundia and A ponogeton spp. share the same highly unusual floral groundplan, a homoplastic similarity that can be explained by spatial constraints in developing inflorescences. The nucellar coenocyte of M aundia appears to be unique among monocots. As M aundia exhibits a mosaic of features characteristic of other families of tepaloid core A lismatales, its segregation as a separate family is plausible. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2013, 173 , 12–45.